Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Draft Strategy at the Combine: Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter, Draft Diamonds

Episode Date: March 1, 2025

Can the New England Patriots find their next star at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine? With potential draft picks like Abdul Carter and standout performances from Jihad Campbell and Landon Jackson, the Patriots are eyeing talent that could reshape their future. Host Mike D'Abate and guest Steve Balestrieri dissect the combine's top performers, focusing on the Patriots' needs and prospects. They explore the potential impact of players like Miles Frazier on the offensive line and discuss under-the-radar talents such as Darius Alexander. The conversation also highlights the importance of balancing combine results with game tape to evaluate true football potential. Tune in for an in-depth analysis of the Patriots' draft strategy and discover which prospects could be game-changers for the team. #nfl #nflcombine #newenglandpatriots  Find Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFm... Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-... And follow host Mike D’Abate on X, where he’ll be sharing the latest ne ws about the New England Patriots and talking with fans — @mdabateNFL  Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! FanDuelRight now, new FanDuel customers can get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Bonus Bets if your first FIVE DOLLAR bet wins!Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

All eyes continue to be on the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, but which prospects stood head and shoulders above the rest? Stick around, you're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots Podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. And thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots

a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots countries. So reach out to me. Let me know what's on your mind on X at MDABATENFL. You can catch me over where the skies are blue over at Blue Sky at MDABATENFL.BSKY.SOCIAL. And of course, if you're looking to show some social media love to Locked On Patriots, do so on our X account at LO underscore Patriots.

And Pats fans, today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new FanDuel customers can get $150 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. Pats fans, the 2025 NFL scouting combine nearly in the books. Maybe it is already in the books by the time you're listening to this podcast as hundreds of draft prospects make their best case to become the next generation of NFL stars. All 32 teams in attendance, including your New England Patriots, as they look to scout their potential 2025 draft class. Who are the standout performers during this week at Lucas Oil Stadium? Which of these prospects might look best in a Patriots uniform? And last but certainly not least, where are the diamonds in the rough?

Who are the prospects that came into the combine without really much to prove that may have just made their case to be an NFL draft pick that much more potent? And here today to help us break it all down is the only man with the wisdom, the counsel, and the reasonable wit we need to make informed decisions when it comes to the 2025 NFL Draft. He is my Patriots by his own. Columnist extraordinaire of Patsfans.com, as well as being the co-host of Patriots 4th and 2, my good buddy Steve Balistrieri.

Steve, thank you for joining me here today. Double duty once again this week, but we can't get enough of it. We love your wisdom and counsel here on the pod. Is it only twice this week? I know. Man, I don't know. But, hey, I always appreciate the call. And when I got it this morning from you, I was like, absolutely.

So, you know, this is my favorite time of year. You know, you start going through the draft process and you're looking at the prospects in Indy and you're looking at guys that you've seen the tape of. And now you want to see how they test out athletically. And there's been a couple of guys that really stand out. Absolutely. a couple of guys that really stand out absolutely if you guys do stand out above the rest and of course the usual suspects are among the tops of those that Patriots fans are keeping their sharp eye on everybody's going to be watching over the weekend to find out the arm length measurements of one Will Campbell offensive tackle out of LSU everyone is wondering whether or not he's going to

be considered a true tackle prospect or whether that measurement makes him more suited for the guard position a lot's going to depend on perspective there but bottom line we know the new england patriots have a clear need along the offensive line but a lot of pats fans myself included thinking that this team may actually go defense if they remain at number four, either cornerback slash wide receiver, Travis Hunter, or potentially Abdul Carter. Now, most people don't think he's going to fall to number four. I still don't think he's going to fall to number four, but with news coming out about his potential injury, who knows? Stranger things have happened, Steve. You never know what's going to happen the night of the draft. Who thought Bo Callahan would fall to number seven on the draft board for Sonny Weaver Jr.

to come back in and get all his picks back and David Putney just because he felt like it. Bottom line, folks, yeah, I can't wait to watch draft day. I know you can't wait to either. But getting back to reality for a moment, the New England Patriots clearly have a lot of needs on this roster, and we're going to get into who you believe to be the best Patriots fit heading into the 2025 season and beyond. But part of the fun of this time of year, you said it, it's the most wonderful time of the year. And I thank you for not singing Andy Williams the way Murph did the other day. You look at this draft class, you look at the 2025 prospects that are working out down in Indianapolis at Lucas oil stadium.

Who's caught your sharp eye who are among your favorite prospects, not necessarily your favorites for the Patriots. Just the guys that have really caught your eye as either those that have helped themselves the most, um, made a strong case or just phenomenally freakish athletes that are just a lot of fun to watch. Well, the guy, you know, I love front seven guys, especially the linebackers. I mean, so this was a guy I had my eye on since college football season.

And I was, I was really intrigued by this this guy not necessarily as a first round draft pick but maybe uh you know a second rounder and that's the kid from Alabama Jihad Campbell and um you know he I thought he tested really well um for a kid his size, he's 6'3", about 235. He ran a 4'5", which isn't going to blow anyone away as a wide receiver, but as an off-the-ball linebacker, oh, yeah, I'll take that all day long. Absolutely. Yeah. oh yeah i'll take that all day long absolutely you know yeah i mean we already knew looking at his tape he can range sideline to sideline you know uh what i like about him also you know he's

versatile he he can play off the ball and in certain situations you could move him to the edge and he could be a pass rusher. You know, he's not the biggest guy. So, you know, he's more of an off the ball guy, but he's got coverage. He can pursue. He's got everything you're looking for. And like I said, I was very intrigued by this guy's tape. I love Alabama linebackers.

Thank you, Dante hightower you know um so i mean again i don't like him as a first round pick but if he's still there uh you know at the end of the first round i could conceivably see them maybe sliding up a couple of spots to make sure they got him or if he's still there at 38 i would absolutely be looking at this guy i'm going to take you and i'm going to raise you a level on that because i'm also looking at the defense of favorite prospects of mine that i think really did a great job of making their case a lot better maybe enhancing their draft position more than a lot of people believe. And as I did several years ago now, going back to my first year on the Patriots beat, I got my eye on a defensive end out of Arkansas. The Patriots have had pretty good luck with

defensive ends out of Arkansas. And I'm not saying this guy's going to be Dietrich Wise Jr. I'm not saying they're even cut through the same mold, but Landon Jackson had himself a very good Thursday night. This kid is a mountain of a man. He's 6'6", 260 pounds, and got the crowd roar of the night on Thursday night when he jumped 40 inches. That doesn't show you the athleticism on this kid. I don't know of anything else that will. I know everyone that I've talked to in the aftermath of Thursday night's performance was very excited by what they saw out of Landon Jackson. Not only that, but he also ran the 40 in a 4.68 clip. A 1.65 10-yard split is not only showing athleticism, but also a very fluid way in which he moves about the field. And to me,

I think that really speaks very well of him considering his size. I know a lot of people were talking about him tipping the scales at the 280-pound mark. He looked a lot slimmer than that. I believe weighed in at about 260. So in my opinion, if Landon Jackson was someone that was maybe kind of languishing on many people's draft boards, I think he's taken a major step forward. I really love what I see out of this kid. Again, I'm not sure if the draft board is going to align with where the Patriots will be if he's on that board and the Patriots are on the clock, but still

look at the productivity he had last year, nine and a half tackles for loss, six and a half sacks. This guy can get the job done from that position and you know he can never have too much firepower so i look for uh someone like this to make a big splash in the draft whether it's with the patriots or not yeah and another guy i mean and we talked about him as as a first rounder if they end up trading back and I thought he had himself a good day, was Jalon Walker from Georgia. Absolutely. Yeah.

And he's not the biggest guy. I mean, you know, he's 6'1", 245, I think it was. But boy, you know, and we knew, we knew he has all the tools. And just to watch him out on the field, you know, he reminds me of like a mix of different players. But, you know, he's not, again, he's not the biggest guy. But, boy, you know, you look at the tape with him,

and he plays much bigger. You talked about Landon Jackson. Yeah. And I was like, man, when you see a guy with that kind of size to jump 40 inches, you have to love that. And, you know, the kid from BC, you know, I mean, we knew he was a really good football player, but watching him run a six, nine in the three cone drill at his size,

I'm like, that is some serious explosion and change of direction there. So, you know, I think that was really good. And then Mason Graham, again, another

front seven guy, but, you know, I was watching him and people say, well, he's not 300 pounds. Watch the tape. He plays like he not 300 pounds. Watch the tape. He plays like he's 300 pounds. You know what I mean? So I like all of those guys, but I'm sure we can flip the switch and talk about offensive guys.

Yeah, absolutely. Anyone from the offense right now, Steve, that's kind of leaping off the page at you as having a pretty strong week in Indianapolis? Well, maybe not so much the field work, but, you know, listening, Patriots.com talked with, you know, Xavier Restrepo, the slot guy out of miami and you know he he talked about admiring um you know wes welker and julian edelman you know and you know not so much as saying he patterns his game after them but just by the way they they the game and how they, you know, navigated getting their yards after the catch and all this, you know,

and he did meet with the Patriots. So I'm kind of looking at that and it's like, I know that, you know, people have been writing about how Josh McDaniels will bring everything out of DeMario Douglas Douglas like we've been expecting but this guy is kind of intriguing you know I've been watching him during the season I mean he's not a big guy he doesn't have a big wingspan but Walker and Edelman didn't really set the world on fire with their size either. You know, it was just the way they played the game. And I'm wondering if they take a shot on a guy like him. Look, there's no question about it. Slot receivers have a tremendous amount of

success in a Josh McDaniels offense in New England. So I think it's going to be intriguing to see how the Patriots put this team together and which guys are going to catch the sharp eye of that Patriots brain trust, whether it be offensive, defensive scouts. They've got a lot of holes to fill. So no matter which players you're going to bring in, you want to bring in the right guys for the type of system that you want to put out there. And I think that leads us quite nicely into our next segment.

A lot of players we think might look good in a Patriots uniform, but which are the players that the Pack should be seriously thinking about bringing in with the draft capital they currently possess? Steve and I are going to give our opinions on not only potential, but probable New England Patriots when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team, every day. Lockdown listeners, when the game tips off, the NBA action is just getting started, and there's no better place to get in on it than FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. With FanDuel, you can place live bets throughout the game.

So even if you miss the opening tip-off or want to bet on a fourth quarter comeback, you can stay in on the action. And if you're looking for a bigger payout, you can even combine your live bets into a same-game parlay. I love using FanDuel's live betting feature because it keeps every moment of the game exciting. Whether I'm backing my team for a late game rally or picking a player to hit a clutch three, I never feel like I missed my chance. Plus, the app is easy to use and when you win, you get paid instantly. Right now, new FanDuel customers can get $150 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. Just visit FanDuel.com to join today. That's fan duel.com for your shot at $150 in bonus bets.

Make every moment more with fan duel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Fans. Thank you once again for joining us here today on locked on Patriots. As we continue to break down all the ins and outs, the ups and downs of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Joining me here to help break it all down is my good friend

and resident voice of reason right here on Locked On Patriots, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com. Steve, sometimes there are prospects out there that work out over the course of these few days in Indianapolis that we say automatically right off the bat, this is a Patriot. This is absolutely the prototypical player that the Patriots love to bring in, love to employ. It's exactly what they need. They're a great fit logistically, and they're also a great fit in the locker room. It makes too much sense for the Patriots not to be seriously targeting this individual player.

Throughout the course of the last few days, as the combine unfolded, are there any players that are on your radar right now that you've identified as not just potential Patriots, but in your best hopes, probable New England Patriots? Oh, I think it starts with Abdu'l-Qadr now, right? Look, I think if he's there sitting at number four, you have to take him. I think he's going to be a generational type of talent. You know, I think he's going to be a great NFL football player.

And I think he'd fit in perfectly with what Vrabel and Williams want to run for the defense here in New England. And, you know, a couple of things have happened that I think work in the Patriots' favor right now. And that's one, I forget how they termed it, his foot issue right now. You know, that just popped up. Would teams be a little less likely to pop a number one pick on the guy because he may have to have surgery at some point. You don't know. But if anything, that little nugget hurts his draft stock from going top three maybe and might drop him down to number four. We don't know yet.

And that's something that I'm sure is going to play out in the coming weeks. But the other thing that happened, I think, yesterday or today, was that Matthew Stafford signed his extension with the LA Rams. He's going to stay

put. So some of these needy quarterback teams who had their eye on maybe offering Stafford a, you know, a free agent deal if he was released by the Rams. Now they're looking at the draft, right? Because, you know, there's not a lot of free agent quarterbacks that they're going to check the block for these teams. So the probability of him going in that top three or the top three teams selecting a quarterback, I should have said, now that raises, right? So that can open the door for the Patriots. I firmly believe that.

It's not just wishful thinking there. I think there's some fire there along with the smoke. So we'll have to see how it all plays out. But the chances of them grabbing him, I think, in the past three or four days have gone way up. Yeah, without any question. And I'm glad that you mentioned the Matthew Stafford signing because it does have a ripple effect. We're hearing a lot about the New York Giants right now, and maybe they're going to go after Aaron Rodgers. Maybe they're going to try to go in a different veteran direction. But Shador Sanders, I'm sure, is someone they're keeping their sharp eye on. Cam Ward is someone

they're keeping their sharp eye on. If Tennessee is someone they're keeping their sharp eye on. If Tennessee doesn't indeed go with Cam as their number one overall pick, those two guys are off the board. That leaves your number three. All of a sudden, at this point, the New England Patriots are looking like they're going to get either Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter, one of the two. You have to ask yourself, is that stress reaction that Abdul Carter reportedly has in his right foot enough to give pause to a team in terms of wanting to go

and make that pick? Does he fall to the New England Patriots? Right now, I think the consensus is that if there is a player that falls to number four, it would be Hunter, not Carter. But again, stranger things have happened. You have to be on the board, but again stranger things have happened you have to be on the board ready to take that guy when you get him i personally don't think the patriots would pass on either one of them carter you've outlined a tremendous case for him going number four overall i think hunter the case speaks for itself and it's funny that a lot of people were talking this week about hunter potentially being the number one receiver in this class, not just the number one cornerback, with his ability to run routes, his ability to recognize routes because of the fact that he covers them so well, it gives him a leg up on the competition.

So either one of these guys, I believe, are game-breaking type talents, whether they're generational talents. I think it's going to take a couple of years in the league before we really determine whether or not either gentleman meets this criteria, but they certainly have the skill set and the pedigree to do it. Now, can they put it into action and make it on the field? That's going to be the big question for the New England Patriots. But yeah, obviously either one of these gentlemen, I think would be potential and maybe who knows, maybe one of them is a very probable Patriot. steve taking yourself out of the first round for just a moment whether it's the second whether it's all the way down to

the sixth on the final saturday of the draft are there other players in this realm right now that you're eyeing and saying boy i really think the patriots need to give this guy a really strong look. Yeah, and again, maybe it's not considered her top need, but I'm looking at running back. I know Ramondre Stevenson is extremely talented. I know the coaching staff knows that, but as you and I talked about, I think it was last week, those fumbles, those are, I mean, you can't ignore those.

You can't just write them off. And so I'm wondering if they take a guy in the draft, not sure where, you know, some of these guys will be. But, you know, the old Rutgers pipeline, right, Kyle? What's his name? Monagamy or Monaguy? Oh, I'm butchering the poor guy's name but him

Drake Mays former college teammate Omari and Hampton I'm not sure where these guys are going to fall but I would be looking at those guys and saying yeah it's

maybe not a pressing need if Ramondre works out his fumbling issues, but do you want to take that chance and be short-handed next year? And I think some of these running backs, you know, could conceivably find their way into a Patriot uniform. Oh, absolutely. And again, I don't think you're off base by going running back here. First of all, this is a supremely talented class, and there's a lot of guys that could

fit the bill of what the Patriots could utilize as a potential weapon in this position structure for many years to come. I'm going to stay on offense for just a moment here because I think the offensive line needs that much work. And obviously, if the Patriots are not going to break the bank, so to speak, for an offensive tackle in free agency, they've got to address that within the first couple of rounds and make sure that they're bringing in someone that can protect Drake May,

preferably on his blind side on the left tackle. But this team needs more help than just that. And I think they could actually use some help at the guard position. And one guy that I keep coming back to as the type of player that I think could really do a lot for this line is Miles Frazier, a guard out of LSU. Miles is not necessarily the most fundamentally sound guard in the draft. He's not someone that's going to wow you with his footwork or wow you with his athleticism. But one of the things that the Patriots struggled with so much in 2024 was that killer instinct, that ability to never, ever yield your position. Never say die, never give up.

This guy has an unstoppable motor. Earlier this week, I was listening to Dane Brugler, who got a chance to talk to our good mutual friend, Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston. And Dane was talking about speaking with Eric Gregory, who's an Arkansas defensive lineman. And Gregory immediately said that he believed Frazier was the toughest guy he played against in college football throughout his career. And I thought that was an amazingly lofty compliment coming from a guy that played at Arkansas that knows a thing or two about playing against tough offensive linemen. But this guy continues to have that, that toughness factor, that power that he plays

through with every play. Physical, he loves to play tough. He can be a little erratic at times. He's going to need some coaching. I think Doug Marone would be a good guy to kind of rein in some of what he gives, but if you're looking for a guy that's not going to quit on that offensive line and someone that's going to fight with every bit of his strength and might, yeah, Miles Frazier might be the guy you want to come in. This is, in my opinion an attitude addition uh in addition to being someone that could really help them on the field sometimes those moves are some of the best moves that a

team can make yeah i think that's that's um you know that's what's so fascinating about this because you have what two three hundred guys at the combine. And, you know, you might not recognize a getaway. And then you see him run. And then you're like, oh, wait a minute. I heard about him, you know, back so-and-so. And then you start digging back deeper. And you find out some of these guys are right there, you know.

They just kind of get lost in the shuffle a little bit, but they don't get lost in terms of scouting by the teams because they watch all of these guys. And that's what I love about this stuff. It's true. That's what I love about this stuff too. These guys consistently make their case. And whether it's making your case with your play on the field, with the charisma that you show, the, with the charisma that you show,

uh, the intelligence and the savvy that you show in the interview room, all of these things come out equal, uh, and they come out in the wash. You heard Mike Rabel say earlier this week, but that it wasn't just about the workouts on the field. They were just as interested in how these guys conduct themselves in the

meeting room. That's such a big part of how players are drafted now. So all of these come together, hopefully in a perfect storm for some of these players to maximize their own abilities and make a career out of playing in the NFL, something that very few people get the opportunity to do. And their opportunity really kicks into gear over this weekend. Steve, before we take our leave of this subject, any more potential Patriots right now that are swimming around in your head that should be on the Patriots' big board right now as they move into this next phase of drafting and scouting? Well, you know, he's an interesting name

because I remember a few years ago the same thing happened. You look at Ohio State's Josh Simmons. He messed up his knee. I think it was week one or week two versus Oregon.

It took Cole Strange to recover from the same injury about a year. And a lot of people were saying prior to this injury that he might be the number one tackle in the draft. And, you know, now he might be on the shelf, you know, for the entirety of training camp and, you know, preseason. I mean, you don't know. And I wonder if that is going to hurt his stock to where he falls down. You know, he might not even be available until next year. But, you know, you're looking at a guy who has incredible talent

and you're wondering if he starts to fall, say, in the third or fourth round. Well, I think that, you know, I think he would be a tremendous addition. You know, you'd have to take him with the understanding that you're not expecting anything out of him in 2025. But that being said, he'd be a stud in 2026. Steve, always an honor, always a pleasure. But we are not done yet, folks, because our resident voice of reason has one more pearl of wisdom, counsel, and wit to lend here on Locked On Patriots, and that comes to the lesser-known prospects.

The prospects that came into this week, maybe without a whole lot to prove, but all of a sudden are making their case to become a pretty significant factor here in the 2025 NFL Draft. Steve and I are going to talk potential draft diamonds in the rough when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast wraps up right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today

on Locked On Patriots as we continue to ramp up and wind down our coverage of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. It's been an amazing week. A lot of NFL potential hopefuls have made their case to be a significant factor in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. And of course, that means potential prospects for your New England Patriots. My good friend, Steve Balistrieri, my Patriots bison, columnist extraordinaire

of patsfans.com has joined me here today. He's helped to break it all down. The ins, the outs, the ups, the downs, the wisdom and the grit that only he can provide. And Steve, we find ourselves in an interesting position because we've talked about a lot of the high level prospects in this draft. We've talked about those that we believe would make the best fit in a New England Patriots uniform, but sometimes weeks like this produce

what we like to call diamonds in the rough. Players that may not be on everyone's radar, players that may be on very few draft boards, but players that take this opportunity, whether it be through the interview process, the workout process, and they enhance their resume, they enhance their draft stock and make it a little bit easier for teams to consider them as potential draft picks in the upcoming season. Here we are in 2025. I know you've been doing an awful lot of scouting of these players as i've been as all of our listeners and anyone else that's an nfl

fan are there any potential diamonds in the rough that have stood out to you this week that you believe could be a factor in april's draft yeah i i i'm looking at darius aarius Alexander out of small school Toledo, right? Now, normally you wouldn't be looking at a guy from Toledo and saying, oh, wow, this guy, you know. But I'm not saying he's going to be an all pro or anything, but I go back to the Senior Bowl and, you know, watching the Senior Bowl and, you know, watching the Senior Bowl practices and the game, I thought he flashed really well.

And, you know, he's a penetrating kind of guy, which they're looking for. He's more of a three technique. And, you know, when you watch how explosive he was doing some of his, you know, combine workouts, I thought he was really impressive. And I'm thinking to myself, man, you know,

I don't know if the Patriots ever had a guy from Toledo, you know, this could be one of them. Definitely could be. And again, therein lies the beauty. The Pats need so much help they need so many different players at different positions that anyone and everyone

could be on the on the table for the new england patriots right now i think that's going to be something interesting and something very worthwhile uh to watch over the course of the next few weeks Another guy I like from North Carolina, Elijah Huzzy. He's an undersized cornerback, 5'10", 195. He played at East Tennessee for three years, and then he transferred to UNC. And, you know, he'd be a slot corner in the NFL. But what I really like about him and where he could make his presence felt right away, he's an outstanding punt returner. And he had two return touchdowns.

So, you know, I'm looking at a guy like him. You're talking sixth, seventh round. If they take a flyer on a guy like him, he could make the team strictly on special teams ability. And then you could maybe see what he could do as a defender. But we're not talking about outlaying a huge amount of draft capital for a guy like him. Right. Absolutely agreed. I love it.

I always love an opportunity to talk ball with you, my friend. You're always spot on in your analysis. And hopefully we've given Patriots Nation a couple of new names to maybe think about or at least keep a sharp eye on heading into the draft cycle. What can I say? I always appreciate you stopping by and lending your wisdom, your counsel, your reason, and the wit and the grit that only you can provide, my friend. Before I let you go, please let everyone know where they can reach out to you, interact with you, and what you've got to marinate in the La Cochina Balistrario over the weekend. Yeah. Thanks for having me, as always. And you can find me on Twitter at SteveB7SFG. I write for PatchFans.com. I do the

Patriots 4th and 2nd podcast with Derek Havens. This weekend, what I'm looking at is some of the draft guys that we just talked about. I'm going to be laying out a case for

or maybe against some of them you know from what we've seen in Indianapolis but to me the the big driver of the train I mean it's always fun to see what they can do in a testing scenario but the tape you know right some guy might not run extremely well in Andy, but when you watch the tape, his football speed is really, really good. And so, and sometimes the opposite can be true, right? We've seen that. I mean, guys who just look like physical specimens

and they test extremely well and then they get on the football field and what happens so it's true yeah you know it is a different ball game sometimes when these guys hit the field in a pro level setting as to oppose to when they hit the field for what some call the under armor olympics but bottom line still do believe that there is so much value in what we've seen all week long in Indianapolis. And there is going to be a ton of value to what these players now are going to do in individual workout and pro days. Heading right in to the NFL draft beginning in late April. And here on Locked On Patriots, we're going to continue to keep our foot on the accelerator when it comes to draft coverage.

Monday, Mock Draft Monday is back. So be sure to get those drafts in over the weekend so Murph and I can evaluate them right here on Locked On Patriots. And then individual positional previews will be back on Tuesday. And of course, folks, free agency moving closer and closer each and every day. No days off here on Locked On Patriots. No days off in the NFL. We're going to continue to break down all the latest and greatest stories from Foxborough

as they relate to your New England Patriots and their 2025 quest to return to respectability. In the meantime, I want to give a strong tip of the cap and a big thank you to my good friend Steve Malastreri for joining me here today. A heartfelt thanks to all of you out there. All of you everydayers, especially, who continue to make Locked On Patriots a part of your New England Patriots coverage each and every day. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate,

and on behalf of Steve Balistrieri, I want to wish you all the opportunity to stay safe, to stay well, to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone, and we'll see you back here again Monday on Locked On Patriots.